I can give no insights, I can offer no formulas. There are no promises here. What you get is what you get. But if you’re willing to take a gamble, I’ll bet on you. If you’re willing to put it out there, if you’re willing to fail, if you’re willing to let go of it all, thumb your nose at the world, and do it your way, I’ll believe in you. You may not find what you want, but you’ll find what you need. Want is easily known, but need is a thing that only reveals itself in retrospect.

Forget about the discussions of exposure and technique. Forget whether you use film or filter. Forget the mythologies, the notions of … Read more...

The I Will Make You Suffer Workshop portraits, including yours truly.

Sometimes, you’ve just gotta believe.

They say it’s windows or mirrors. You’re taking pictures to explore the world, or you’re taking them to figure yourself out. Maybe, a little of both. But whatever it might be, the one thing that’s certain is nothing beats heart. Nothing beats committing your mind, body, and soul to a path and letting it course through your veins.

When I created this workshop, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was the wedding photography workshop that wasn’t about wedding photography. Sure, weddings gave me context in the discussions. It was a common bond. It was out there. But it was a lot more about … Read more...

I’m about to walk into a store, when someone on the street calls to me.

“Would you consider giving me some change on the way out?”

Uncertain what to say – I mean, who really asks this when you’re walking in? – I uneasily reply “Uh…sure.” After all, I’m making my way into the store, and I just want to get in there. I say whatever I need to say. Of course, when I walk out and he asks about that change. The brilliance of his ploy unfolds. Now I’m committed. Indeed, I gave him the change.

Now any big-city dweller will tell you that after some amount of time, it becomes pretty easy to avoid doling out your change … Read more...

It’s been said that the good ones borrow and the great steal. It’s in question whether Picasso uttered these words, but what isn’t is that in this debate the battle lines have long been drawn, and the war rages on. On one side a belief in innovation, on the other, the belief that it’s all been done. On one that newness is essential, on the other that copying works. Neither side fully hits the mark. Both make valid points.

Consider this. You take a picture in 2002 in a certain style of a certain type. Let’s say something progressive, right at the front of the curve. You’re considered modern. You take the exact same picture in the present, and now … Read more...

Who do you want your business from? Is it about your vision or about your skill?

People ask “How do I get people to do what I want? How do I generate more income from my clients?” The question you should ask is why people hire you. What are your clients actually giving you? Are they giving you their money or their trust? Or, to put it another way, are they hiring you for your opinion or for your technical skills?

Case in point. I went to Budget to rent a car. They wanted to charge me $30 per day to upgrade to a larger car (God forbid that they even consider whether I would want the beastly thing they … Read more...